Welcome To My Life
by Yodes
Summary: Jesse was a normal 17 year old, or so she thought. There's nothing like destiny to ruin someones life
1. In The Shadow Of Death

**_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the characters of Harry Potter do not belong to me. The character of Jesse Hunter, however, is my creation so don't steal her! If you want to use her, please email me and ask for my permission.  My email address can be found in my profile._**

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**Summary: Jesse was a normal 17 year old girl with an attitude problem… kinda.  She was abandoned by the parents she never knew.  She grew up, disliked.  She grew up unloved.  All she wanted to do was survive, all she wanted to do was live her life the way she wanted.  Destiny however, had other ideas.**

**Rating: PG-13?**

**Genre: Romance, Action/ Adventure**

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**_A/N: Okay, this is my first attempt at a Harry Potter fic so, please be gentle! It's similar to a Dark Angel fic I've been writing but only with the kind of AU thing it has going *shrugs* it's still different! (obviously). Anyway, that's all the babbling I'm going to do right now, it's time for my medication. *grins insanely and wanders off*_**

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**                                                  Welcome To My Life**

                                                           **By Yodes            **

**Prologue: In The Shadow Of Death**

**_'Not everybody knows that everybody goes to a better place_**

**_Not everybody knows that everybody could be living their last days'_**

**_-Good _****_Charlotte_****_ (Movin' On)_**

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"No!" The desperate pain filled cry told them all that something had gone terribly wrong before they had arrived at their destination.  Hurrying quickly, the darkness receded as, with their wands held high, the teachers of Hogwarts school, several members of the Order of Phoenix and Harry's friends arrived on the scene.  Running and skidding over the wet grass, they made their way in the direction of the shout- in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.  They stopped suddenly, the sight that greeted them halting their movements and stunning them to silence.

Everywhere, surrounding him were bodies.  The light from their wands and the moon combined fell on their faces, each showing a different emotion, their last feelings before death displayed clearly for the whole world to see.  Anger, shock, pain, astonishment, disgust, absolute terror.

If it weren't for their total stillness and the missing life from their eyes, they could've been living statues.  But they were bodies.  Corpses.  All 50 of them.

Adults and teenagers alike took in the scene silently before their eyes finally rested on Harry Potter's shaking form.

His wand at his feet as he knelt on the damp grass, his broom a short distance away, unnoticed.  At the sight before them, several people began to weep.

Blood trickled down his forehead from his reopened scar, mingling with the dirt and tears on his cheeks as he held the still body in his arms.

In the heavy silence that followed, punctuated occasionally by a sob of grief, slowly, someone parted from the group and walked towards him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Harry slowly looked up, green eyes filled with tears and pain.

"She wasn't meant to die!" he whispered, his voice breaking as he looked back down at the body in his arms "She wasn't meant to die."

Grey eyes overflowing with pent up emotion looked down at Harry and the girl.  Draco Malfoy squeezed Harry's shoulder gently, his face blank but his voice soft "I know."

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**_A/N: So what do you guys think?  The chapters following this are set 6 months previous to the prologue until it gets up to date with this scene._**


	2. Already Met You

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A/N: Okay, here's the second chapter to 'Welcome To My Life'. Like most of my fics, this isn't gonna go quickly. I like to develop the characters slowly so hopefully, they'll be realistic, or as realistic as I'm capable of making them.

Just so you know, this fic is set in Harry's last year of Hogwarts. I'm not sure what age the school goes up to in the book (I think it's 16), but for this fic, it'll be up to 18. Description of Harry and the others will be given in a later chapter. Anyway, here it is, the next chapter.

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Chapter 1: Already Met You

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'How does it feel

When you find out you're not gonna be

They give you your image and the things you believe

Open your eyes tell me what do you see

And I just think you thought it surreal'

-The Goo Goo Dolls (What A Scene)

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Previously:

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"She wasn't meant to die!" he whispered, his voice breaking as he looked back down at the body in his arms "She wasn't meant to die."

Grey eyes overflowing with pent up emotion looked down at Harry and the girl. Draco Malfoy squeezed Harry's shoulder gently, his face blank but his voice soft "I know."

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6 Months previously: 

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"Up until now, my life had been about one simple thing- survival. You know, keeping a roof over my head and all that. I got myself some education. I got myself a job, a place to live. It was all I wanted because it was all I needed and I had worked hard for it. I didn't owe my accomplishments to anyone. No family, no friends. As far as I could see, that made it easier. The only person I had to look out for was myself. As I said, all I wanted to do was survive. I should've known that it was about to change. I should've known it was about to get a whole lot complicated…"

****

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"Our sources say that Voldemort is planning something, something involving Harry. We think it may be an attack of Hogwarts-"

"Again?!" Harry sat back in his chair and threw up his hands in frustration. "Will the guy ever give it up, already? I'm sick of him trying to kill me!"

"Which is precisely why I think it is time for the retrieval" Dumbledore continued as if Harry had not spoken.

McGonagall gasped, Hagrid dropped his giant cup of tea, Tonks gave a loud squeak and everyone else stared in silence.

There were many people in Dumbledore's office. The famous trio, Hagrid, Snape, McGonagall and several members of the Order of the Phoenix. This was not an odd occurrence. They had begun to hold regular meetings since it first became public Voldemort was back when Harry Potter was 15, 3 years ago.

"Do you think that's wise, Professor?" Professor McGonagall was the first to speak, "After all, it's been so long-"

"Which is precisely why we need to do this. Voldemort will not be expecting this. He will not know of our intention until it is too late."

"What's the retrieval? Retrieval of what?" Harry looked between his friends Hermione and Ron, who looked just as blank as he did.

Dumbledore smiled a kind yet sad smile. "Let us just say, that you were not the only child Voldemort has hunted. And you were not the only child I had to take measures to protect; only you were sum what lucky- you had living relatives in this world. The other, well, the other did not."

Harry frowned "But, you said that, in the prophecy-"

"This has nothing to do with prophecy, Harry. This is about birthright; some see it as a gift, some as a curse. A child born with gifts…" Dumbledore trailed off. He looked at the Professors "I know we have left it late, but it is time for us to bring her back where she belongs."

"But she's dangerous" Professor McGonagall had turned pale "Her emotions could kill us all. Her power-"

"She will be eased into her life gently. She will be guided, taught, prepared for what is to come, for what she must do. It's time for us to bring her home. Hogwarts and the lives of all of its students may depend upon her." Dumbledore replied. He'd made up his mind and there was no turning back.

****

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"Jesse, I'm still waiting for this months rent!" The balding, 40 something fat man, complete with grease stained shirt, jeans and slippers was harassing her again. Why couldn't she meet any nice guys? Hell, one within her age bracket would do.

Jesse Hunter sighed inaudibly and rolled her eyes as the man turned to empty his mail box.

"Yes, My Marner- I know. But you said I could have until Friday to get the money. Friday's when I get paid."

Marner scowled, his little piggy eyes narrowing and almost disappearing into his overly large head. "I want it by Wednesday". 

"How am I supposed to get the money?!" Jesse forced her voice to remain polite despite the fact she wanted to ram his head into the wall.

Marner clutched his dirty magazines tightly and fixed her with a cold hearted glare "I don't care how you get it. I want it by Wednesday, Jesse, Wednesday or you're out."

Marner waddled off to his ground floor flat, leaving Jesse alone in the entryway.

She lived on the 2nd floor of the 3 floor building- one of those impersonal apartment buildings that no one liked to live in unless they couldn't afford anything better.

Jesse's flat was barely adequate. It had a bathroom that had seen better days- sometime in the early 60s, a small living room and an even smaller bedroom. The living room consisted of faded, peeling wallpaper, a battered brown couch covered in tape, a coffee table covered with cigarette burns, and a little kitchen nook that was more like the size of a pantry rather than the working kitchen in stated in the lease.

Jesse trudged into the apartment, rummaged though the fridge and pulled out a microwave dinner from the little freezer compartment at the top. She'd go talk to her employer later on.

"Genius invention" she murmured as she took the frozen contents out of its box.

Putting it into the microwave and setting the timer, Jesse kicked off her trainers, slipped off her denim jacket and dumped it on the back of the couch.

She closed her eyes briefly and rubbed her eyes. She was going to have to ask to be paid early. She worked at a shop on the nearby high street and also worked at the local library. On the weekends, she went to the local college, studying English.

This was the 3rd time that Marner had demanded the rent early. Jesse was looking for another place to live but so far, hadn't found anywhere.

The rate her life was going, she'd end up on the streets by the end of the year.

The microwave made that pinging sound that said the food was done and Jesse stood up with a sigh. Microwave meals. How nutritious. She slid the tray onto a plate and walked back around into the living room and that was when it happened. 

There was a bang, a deafening explosion of sound, followed by a blinding flash of white light. Jesse, blinded, dropped her plate and let out a yell as it landed on her bare foot. Then, there was simply nothing but blackness. No pain, no feeling of being knocked out. Not even a look at what had exploded in her flat. She was unconscious before she hit the floor.

****

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"Professor, is the child alright?"

Professor McGonagall walked out of the kitchen and looked down at Jesse on the floor. The professor was wearing her usual travelling outfit- a green tartan cloak and a matching hat with earflaps tied around her head. She knelt down by Jesse and gently turned her head to one side.

"She appears to be unharmed Professor. The spell worked perfectly."

"Apart from apparently blowing up her kitchen appliances." Dumbledore replied, sounding amused. He walked out of the kitchen holding Jesse's now broken toaster.

He put it down on the coffee table and looked down at Jesse.

Professor McGonagall looked down at her affectionately "She _has _grown, hasn't she, Albus?"

"Yes, she has Minerva. Yes, she has." Dumbledore pulled out his wand "_Wingardium_ _Leviousa_". Jesse began to slowly rise from the floor and Dumbledore directed her onto the couch.

"She looks just like her mother" Professor McGonagall continued, "if a little skinny. I don't think she's been eating well, and have you seen her living quarters? Barely adequate."

"Then, it's a good job she will not be coming back here, isn't' it?" Dumbledore said, decisively. "Now, let's collect her things and leave before her landlord comes banging on her door, shall we? I think it's very likely that he has called the muggle police."

****

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Forbidden Forest:

He had been travelling for days, hours on end, only pausing in his journey to eat and rest for an hour at the most before moving onward again.

He was on a sacred quest, and had been preparing for it since the moment he'd been given it not quite 2 decades ago. Like many of the creatures and humans in this world, he'd been waiting for the time to begin his task, for the time when he should leave his family, and journey to a place well known by humans and creatures alike. Now, it was almost time. His eyes scanned the trees as he silently moved through the bushes, making no sound as his feet hit the ground steadily. He was a hunter, a warrior, and he would not fail.

****

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Jesse groaned and shifted in her bed. Snuggling under the warm covers as she fought against consciousness. Her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright.

This was not her bed. _ Her_ bed felt like it had more springs than padding. _Her _bedroom wasn't warm, _and_ she wouldn't have gone to bed in her jeans and t-shirt.

As a matter of fact, Jesse didn't remember going to sleep at all.

All she remembered was a blinding white light and then blackness. Something had happened to her. Maybe she was dead? She checked her pulse.

"No. You're not dead, dear" a voice spoke from across the room and Jesse looked around her quickly. No one was with her.

"I'm going insane!" Jesse launched herself off of the bed and onto the side furthest from the door. She hopped around from one foot to the other as her bare feet touched cold stone. Looking wildly around her, eyes wide, she took in the room.

She was in a large hall. Well, that was what it looked like to her. Large windows through which she could see night outside lined one wall. How long had she been out? Jesse ignored the question for now.

The room was warm, despite being so large. Candles burned in wall sconces, creating a soft atmosphere. Pictures covered the free wall space and Jesse blinked up at them. She could've sworn one of them just moved. Their eyes seemed to focus on her as she continued to look around. Jesse blamed it on the candlelight. The room was lined with beds, just like her own but all empty. Another room was at the other end of the room, furthest from the large double wooden doors. Jesse craned her neck to see through the doorway but saw nobody. It looked like an office. Where the hell was she? What had happened to her? How had she got here?

"Hello Jesse, it's so nice to finally see you in the flesh again." The voice made her jump and spin around, her eyes widened as the figure entered the room.

He was tall, with a long white beard that almost touched the floor as he swept into the room. He wore a long purple cloak with silver stars and moons on it and a tall pointed wizard's hat to match. Despite his appearance, when Jesse looked at his face, he didn't seem the least bit deranged as he silently waited for her to finish taking in his appearance. His eyes, behind little half glasses were kind and held a hint of amusement in them that made them sparkle.

"What the hell d'you mean, _again_?!" Jesse finally caught up with his words as he sat down in the chair beside the bed she'd been in. She backed away quickly.

"Precisely what it sounds like, my dear girl." He folded his hands across his stomach as he sat back comfortably. He watched her over the rim of his glasses, his eyes following her every movement as she stared at him.

"I've never met you before in my entire life" Jesse quickly changed her opinion of him from eccentric to slightly mad.

"Oh, you won't remember" the man smiled up at her as she continued to watch him through narrowed eyes. "You were only a few hours old when I first laid eyes on you. I was there at your naming. I was the last of this world to see you when you were barely 6 months old."

"Okay mate, I think someone's forgotten to take their medication today. Did you somehow get out of your padded room or summat? Is this place a loony bin or what?"

The man chuckled "I can see how this is all very strange to you, but I'm afraid that I speak the truth. I knew your parents and I was there when you were taken from this world. As a matter of fact, I took you from this world myself."

"Look" Jesse began to edge towards the door "I don't know what little world you're living in and as far as I'm concerned, I don't care. I don't know who you are, but-"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I thought you might recognise me."

"If you're talking about the Dumbledore impression you've got going on, I think you might need a little more work. You look nothin' like the dude in the film, and, I'm sorry I gotta burst your bubble, but he isn't real."

"Oh, I can assure you, Jessica, Albus Dumbledore _is_ real and I am he. And you, my dear girl" Dumbledore smiled "are in the world of Harry Potter. You've come home."

****

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A/N: Wow, I'm glad I got so many reviews on the prologue! And no, to the reviewers thinking I'm gonna give up on my other fics. Don't worry; I'll start writing again sometime this month.

Marty: Yeah, sorry about that dude. I just kinda decided to post this at the last minute. Of course you don't know what's going on!!! That's the point!!! The story's meant to show you how it got to that point. Yep, strangely enough, Draco is being nice. That seems to be what people are most intrigued about *grins*

Goldstranger: Well, that's what I figured I'd start it with, gives you a glimpse of what's to come.

VampireBunny1: Please don't hate me!!! It's meant to make you ask questions! Now, if only I knew where I was going with this…. only kidding :P

Mrs Kane: Ah, seeing as I haven't read any of you elusive fics yet, you'll have to wait and see like everyone else. I'm evil like that. However, bribery works wonders J

Ali: Glad you like it so far.


	3. Who You Are

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A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys; it definitely helps to have feedback. Also, a big thanks to my Betas Roonblah, Ethereal and FridayAngel. 

Something tells me this fic is gonna be another long one.

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Chapter 2: Who You Are

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'If I smile and don't believe

Soon I know I'll wake from this dream'

-Evanescence (Hello)

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"I've come home?" Jesse snorted, "I think not." Remembering she was barefoot, Jesse slowly walked towards Dumbledore and her trainers at the foot of the bed. "My home is in my flat, which is where I was kidnapped from. I'm assuming it was you or someone else from this place that brought me here?"

"It was Professor McGonagall and I. And we simply returned you to your natural environment. Our world. The world of magic and adventures."

"Uhuh," Jesse slipped on her trainers, "Save the poetry for demented people your own age- while I may have been considered crazy once or twice in my life, you aren't my type." Jesse wrinkled up her nose as she looked at him, "Too old, too wrinkly, and no fashion sense."

Again, Dumbledore chuckled. "Such fire. You are definitely like your mother."

"Quit it with the whole parents thing! As far as I'm concerned, they don't exist. I've never had any parents. I've never had any family!"

"You had them once," Dumbledore replied sadly, "But they were taken from you. I had to take you from this world to protect you from your enemies. I have kept an eye on you since. I know you've had a hard life, and I know, I am very much responsible for putting you in it, and all I can do is apologize."

Jesse laughed once- a short burst of sound that seemed harsh and too loud in the quiet room before she slipped on her trainers, spotted her jacket in another chair and put it on.

"How about you take me back home, or hell, even just show me the way back home, and I'll forget this ever happened, huh?"

"I'm afraid that is impossible," replied Dumbledore. "It took a lot of planning and magic to put you in that world."

Jesse narrowed her eyes and folded her arms, "Then how did you bring me here?"

"A Portkey" Dumbledore replied, his tone of voice suggesting that this should explain everything. Jesse however, just blinked at him. She knew what one was, she just wanted to know a little bit more information.

"It was specifically created to work only once, to bring you and whoever went to retrieve you, safely back" Dumbledore explained. "It took a lot of magic to give it enough power to reach your world."

"Riiight," Jesse replied slowly before edging towards the door, "I'll just leave you to your little fantasy land and be on my way now."

She turned around and began to walk towards the door, mumbling under her breath, "People should censor this guy's reading material…"

"Jesse!" Dumbledore called out and for some reason, it made her pause.

She spun around and looked at him through narrowed eyes "How the hell do you know my name?!" She realised that he'd been calling her it since she'd met him and she'd never told it to him in the first place.

"I told you," Dumbledore stood up smoothly, much too smoothly for his apparent age, "I was there at your naming."

"I was named at the place I was dumped," Jesse spat at him. She was sick of this situation already and was ready to leave now. "On the doorstep of an orphanage. A very bad orphanage, I might add." 

She spun around again, only to stop when he called out, "_Colloportus_", and the door shut on its own.

Jesse froze, her eyes wide as she slowly turned around to face him again. He held a wand in his hand, and he was smiling at her.

Jesse shrugged her fear off. "Could've been a draft," she shrugged.

That was when the portraits began to talk.

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"Have you heard the rumours?" Draco Malfoy didn't look away from the copy of the Daily Prophet in front of him. He was sitting in a chair in front of the huge fireplace in the Slytherin common room, trying not to think about certain things in his life, namely, his father. He rarely listened to rumours in Hogwarts unless they were beneficial to him. Instead, he continued to read about the latest Voldemort sightings. Basically, there weren't any. However, the Dementors had been playing havoc with everyone's heads, making them scared to go out alone or in small groups. Now, whenever anyone went out, it was in fives or sixes, hoping that if a Dementor appeared in front of them, they'd have a chance at keeping it at bay instead of cowering in fear while it sucked their souls right out of their mouths. Not a good way to live that.

"It's Dumbledore." Pansy Parkinson continued like he wasn't openly ignoring her. Pansy had never been one to understand the basic things in life, one being that Draco Malfoy did not, in fact fancy the pants off her. "The rumour mill's saying that he went out last night with McGonagall."

"Really? Who'd have thought?" Draco added dryly without looking up from his paper, "and going at it at their age too." He shuddered.

"Eew!" Pansy wrinkled up her ugly nose, "and no, they brought back someone with them."

"Really?" Draco asked dryly, wondering when she was going to leave him alone and bug someone else.

Pansy nodded enthusiastically, hovering around Draco like an annoying insect. "Katie Bell apparently saw it out of the window in the Gryffindor common room. She says they used a Portkey and appeared a few minutes later with lots of bags and a girl."

Draco looked up sharply, his grey eyes pinning Pansy with a stare "A girl?"

"Yeah," Pansy preened under his gaze, happy that he was finally looking at her. "She was unconscious. Dressed like a muggle too. A load of teachers then came out and brought her and everything else in with them and they did it really quickly, they kept looking around like they were scared or something."

"A muggle?" Draco sneered, looking back down at his paper "Who cares about a muggle? Besides, this is from a Gryffindor. Who cares what a Gryffindor saw?"

Pansy's face dropped, "I just thought you'd want to know is all, besides, she must be important if Dumbledore went to fetch her himself. And why would she be unconscious?"

"I don't care, and I don't want to know," Draco muttered and went back to reading his paper. "Now why don't you stop fluttering about like an over-sized bug and bog off? I _am_ trying to read, you know."

Pansy sulked and walked away, leaving Draco in front of the fire alone.

Only when she had gone, did Draco look up from the Daily Prophet. "Why indeed?" He murmured to himself as he stared into the flames, "Why indeed." This might be a good distraction after all.

****

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"A draft she says," a voice spoke from her left and Jesse spun around to see the pictures moving. Yes, moving. There were loads of them, mostly women and they were all looking at her. 

"I thought witches of your line were meant to be highly intelligent," the portrait continued in a haughty tone as Jesse stared, her mouth open and her eyes wide.

The portrait was old, with a huge ornate gilt frame around it. The picture was that of a nurse from several hundred years ago. Jesse didn't know when exactly because she wasn't ever good at history. The only reason she knew that the woman in the portrait was a nurse, was because of the medical equipment beside her on a table. At least she _thought_ it was medical equipment. It looked highly dangerous. The woman herself was young, maybe in her mid-twenties, with blonde hair tied back into a harsh bun that made her face seem older, and more bare. The other women in the portraits were similarly garbed, although it appeared from the differences in their style of dress that they were all from different eras. 

"Hush, Vivian. Leave the child be. Can't you see you've scared her?" another portrait from beside the one who had spoken decided to intervene. This portrait was even older; the canvas browner than the first and the frame was simple plain wood. These paintings were hundreds of years old.

The woman within the painting was older than the first, wearing a long pale blue cloak, tied at the neck. She must've been a lot older than the first woman when her portrait was painted as she had grey hair and wrinkles while the other woman had none at all. She smiled down at Jesse. It was the one who had told her she wasn't dead.

"I am intelligent!" Jesse snapped at the first painting before slapping a hand over her mouth in horror. She turned around to face the room, not really seeing it as she stared at a spot on the stone floor. "I'm talking to pictures. I was right, I've gone insane!"

"No child, you're not insane." Dumbledore swept forward and looked up at the pictures, "If you'll excuse us ladies, we need to discuss this elsewhere."

The paintings nodded and some waved as others began to move about to other paintings to whisper behind their hands, their eyes still on Jesse as she allowed Dumbledore to take her by her arm and lead her of the room.

Jesse only realized she was moving about 5 minutes later, to find that she was in a corridor somewhere on a different floor.

"Where are we going?" Jesse stopped and looked around at more moving paintings and large windows. The corridor, like the room she'd been in, was made of stone. It looked like she was in a real castle.

She moved to peer out of a window but Dumbledore was leading her away again "I'm taking you to your room. You have everything you need- all of your belongings, your own bed, desk and bathroom. Sadly, no television or anything else run by muggle electricity works here due to magical interference. However, I think something battery operated like a CD player may work. You'll have to try it out."

Jesse said nothing; she was too busy looking around her. Dumbledore led her down many corridors; so many, Jesse lost count. The finally stopped in the middle of one corridor, in front of a huge tapestry depicting a forest with mountains looming in the background. On a hilltop in the distance, a wolf bayed at the moon. Dumbledore lifted the tapestry and disappeared behind it. Slowly, Jesse followed. Behind it was a single corridor lit with torches with a single door at the end of it. There were no pictures on these walls and the door was different from the one's she'd seen on the way there. This one was intricately carved with four symbols. Jesse squinted at them. One looked like a snake of some kind, and another looked a bit like a bird. Perhaps the four house symbols? Jesse looked at the rest of the door. There was a larger image looking down at them, the moon high in the sky behind it. It looked at bit like a dog. 'No,' Jesse realised, 'it's a wolf. It's watching over them, protecting them.'

There was something about the wolf that made Jesse examine it more closely. She noticed that its eyes consisted of two amber stones that seemed to glow in the torchlight. They seemed so real, so full of life, intelligence. Just then, the wolf moved. Jesse jumped back like she'd been burned.

"Jesse?" Dumbledore had been watching her closely, "Are you okay?"

Jesse looked at him sharply. "What do _you_ think?" she replied sarcastically and Dumbledore turned back to the door. Jesse looked back at the wolf and it stared innocently back at her, just a piece of wood.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and tapped it against the door softly three times, "Butter beer."

He looked at Jesse sideways, "The door only opens with the password. Only Professor McGonagall and I know the one for this door but it will open for you if you will it to. Just say "open" and it will obey."

The door swung open and they walked in.

****

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Jesse stopped two steps into the room, her mouth hanging open as she looked around her. The room was not a room. It was huge, bigger than any place Jesse had had to herself growing up in the other world. It consisted of two floors.

The first floor contained a huge desk and chair at one end of the room, a soft looking couch and two matching arm chairs situated in front of a huge fire with more house symbols and wolves on its surround. The floor also had a huge glass cabinet near the desk filled with moving photos. Jesse dragged her eyes away from them and looked up at the second floor. It wasn't really a floor, more like a loft, with a winding wooden staircase leading up to it. The floor looked down on the ground floor, with a balcony to stop anyone from accidentally falling off. From what she could tell from where they were standing, the floor contained a large ornate four-poster bed, a large wardrobe and a couple of bed side tables. On the wall opposite the four-poster was another door. Jesse assumed it let to the bathroom. The whole place was illuminated by wall sconces and the huge fire that gave everything a warm glow. On the ground floor there was also a huge window with a window seat covered by a heavy blue velvet curtain.

"Your things are all in their appropriate places," Dumbledore followed her gaze before moving away to sit at her desk that stood away from the wall. He sat behind it and Jesse sat in the chair in front of it. Jesse continued to look around her.

"This is_ all_ mine?" she asked, clearing her throat.

"It is." Dumbledore continued to look around him, "This is a very strange room, indeed. It belongs to your family and changes to fit its current owner's needs. Your parents and yourself lived here before they died, and your grandparents before them and so on. This room, this whole area has belonged to your family for thousands of years. Your family lived and protected this land before the school was even built."

"Yeah, this is all very fascinating," Jesse's tone contradicted her words and thoughts, "but I'm still having trouble with the whole magic thing. I mean, c'mon? Talking pictures? I've seen stuff like that at theme parks!" Only now did she seem to snap out of the half daze she'd been in. Up until now, Jesse was only reacting to the situation. Now, she wanted real proof and she didn't think he could give it to her. Her brain just refused to accept that she was in a different reality, not any reality but the one of Harry Potter. That would require breaking laws of physics, right? But then, she'd never been any good at physics either.

"I can give you a demonstration, if you'd like?" Dumbledore smiled that same kind smile at her, only this time, it was slightly mischievous.

Jesse nodded.

Dumbledore bobbed his head in reply, pulled his wand from his cloak and said loudly, "Accio broom!"

Jesse sat still and waited, looking around her.

She opened her mouth to say "I told you so" but the door banged open before she could utter a word.

In flew a broomstick, hovering about 5 feet off the ground as it came to a stop in front of Jesse's chair. Jesse stared at before standing up and waving her hands all around it. There wasn't any strings. She reached out slowly and touched it. It moved beneath her hand and She pulled her hand back sharply. It was solid. Not some kind of mirror or light trick. She looked at it's handle and read the words imprinted there in gold lettering. "Thunderbolt 6".

Jesse stared at it a few seconds more, her head so messed up she couldn't utter anything except to whisper, "It's real."

"It is," Dumbledore replied gently, "and you belong here, in this world. You always have."

The broomstick hovered there for another second before Dumbledore waved his wand and it zoomed back out the door again, the door closing behind it.

"I know this is difficult for you, it must come as an incredible shock to your system, but you must understand what you are."

"What I am?" Jesse asked dazedly, shaking herself visibly before her usual self seemed to snap back into place.

"You're a witch, Jesse, and a very powerful one at that." Dumbledore leant back in his chair and watched the expressions flash across her face. Shock. Fear. Disbelief.

"Really?" Jesse stated dryly, "Then how come, if I'm such a powerful witch, I haven't seen or done any magic in my entire life?"

"That's simple, my dear. You couldn't. Not in that world, anyway."

"Riiight." Jesse simply stared at him.

"Oh, it's true. We made sure you couldn't alert anyone to your true identity."

"How and why? And how come I haven't done any magic yet? Do I need to wish for it? Say, if I wanted to make you disappear, do I need to click my heels together or something?"

"You're powers and your emotions are linked. They weren't activated back in the other reality because the Order had put a blocking spell on you before I took you away. Your abilities would only be released when you returned to this world. As for how you control them, well, that can get awfully complicated."

"Great. So when I was getting my arse kicked by classmates who decided I wasn't 'in', forced to work ridiculous hours for measly pay, and had to do incredibly boring and tedious homework at school and college for teachers who failed me because they simply didn't like the look of me, I had no magic to help me out. Now I come back to an old stinking castle, I get the power of the universe at my fingertips. That's practical."

"There was also several other spells put on you," Dumbledore said slowly, ignoring her sarcasm.

"What?" Jesse narrowed her eyes at the way he didn't seem at all comfortable. He wouldn't look at her, instead his eyes searched the room or looked down at the desk.

"Let's just say, your lack of popularity wasn't your own doing." He replied looking down at his hands.

Jesse stared at him for a full minute. "Are you saying," she said, talking quietly. "Are you saying that you guys put a spell on me to make people hate me?"

"Not exactly," Dumbledore looked up at her now, "It was a spell to make you seem less approachable. We never thought it'd be so extreme. We didn't want you to get too attached to that world and its people."

"I think it was extreme alright!" Jesse suddenly yelled, standing up. "They hated my guts! I was lucky to even pass my education and get a job!! I had to put up with bullying for years! From everyone I met until I started hitting back! I had to make sure everything was perfect so the teachers had no excuse to fail me! I had to learn how to avoid people, to hide to keep myself from getting beaten up when I went to school! I had to get low paying jobs because employers didn't like the look of me and thought I'd steal from them! And you just wanted me to stay unattached?! You made my life hell!"

"I am truly sorry your life ended up that way, Jessica. I truly am, and you have every right to be angry, but I must ask you to calm down. Now you are back in this world, your emotions can be dangerous. You could activate your powers and seriously injure someone, or even yourself." Dumbledore replied softly.

Surprising him, she did as she was told and sat back down, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.

"What else did you do to me?" she asked after taking a deep breath and visibly calming down.

"We put a spell on you to make you seem like a muggle. If Voldemort ever managed to locate the world you were in, he would not have been able to pick you out from the masses."

"Anything else?" Jesse opened her eyes and met his own.

"No. And now you have returned, the spells no longer work." Dumbledore replied before looking at her again. "I truly am sorry, Jessica."

Jesse sat forward "The first thing you can stop doing is calling me Jessica. I don't like it. I haven't answered to Jessica since I was a little kid."

Dumbledore flashed her a brief smile, "Very well… Jesse."

"Great. Now the next thing you can do is tell me exactly what it was you brought me here for." Jesse was still talking in that quiet, level voice, like she was holding back her anger carefully.

"I brought you back because of Voldemort. He is the reason why we had to hide you in the first place. He killed your parents when you were 6 months old. Luckily, you were in the care of some family friends right then, so he couldn't get to you too. Now, he has been creating an army, much stronger than before. People are afraid and they have every right to be. He will attack them as soon as he has achieved several objectives. One of which is the destruction of Hogwarts, Harry and the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore replied, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Why isn't he attacking now?"

"He is gathering his troops together, he's biding his time until he feels he is strong enough to cause some damage, or even destroy us all together."

"And what am I meant to do?" Jesse watched him, assessing his truthfulness.

Dumbledore met her gaze steadily. "You are here to protect Hogwarts from attack. To protect it's inhabitants from attack. You are a key player in this war, Jesse. You have been since you were born. Your parents were before you and now the role falls to you."

"Why? What am I exactly?"

Dumbledore smiled, obviously pleased at the questions she was asking.

"You are what is known as a Guardian." He said as if telling her something really huge and important.

"I'm a Guardian?" Jesse stated blankly. "A Guardian of what, exactly?"

"Hogwarts." He smiled and Jesse groaned.

"Great, of all the things I'm meant to protect, it had to be a SCHOOL!"

"You're mother was one before you, and her father before her. Every generation has a single child. And whoever the Guardian marries becomes a lesser Guardian also." The old man ignored her outburst.

"A lesser Guardian? What does that mean?" 

"They are also given the task of protecting Hogwarts by their partner's side, but without the abilities the true Guardian possesses."

"Bummer for them." Jesse shrugged. "Good job I don't plan on getting involved with anyone let alone get married."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Dumbledore smiled and Jesse rolled her eyes.

"So," Jesse thought about what he had said before folding her arms and sitting back. "You basically brought me back to fight in a war?" She couldn't believe she was even having this conversation. She was talking to _Dumbledore_ about a wizard war! This was turning out to be the weirdest day she'd ever had.

"That is one of the reasons; it is also because it was time for you to come home. You have to think about this optimistically, Jesse." 

"Optimism?! That's what sunk the Titanic.*** **" Jesse quipped "How can I be optimistic when you've brought me here to die?!" Though her voice sounded light and she was being sarcastic, it was obviously only a front to hide her anger as the inkpot on the desk began to rise into the air.

"Jesse, calm down." Dumbledore spoke soothingly as she stared at the inkpot with wide eyes.

"Please," Dumbledore reached out and plucked it from the air, "You don't have to think about this all now. I know this is a lot to take in, I just want you to think about it."

Jesse opened her mouth to reply, an angry look on her face but Dumbledore stood up and was moving towards the door before she could get a word out.

"Think about it Jesse, that is all I ask." He opened the door, "I will give you two days."

"I don't need two days! I've already thought about it and the answer's no." Jesse snapped back.

"Two days!" Dumbledore was already out the door and closing it behind him.

****

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"What d'you think she's like? This girl?" Ron asked as he sat in an armchair in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

"Not interested in you, if that's what you're thinking" Hermione snorted as Ron scowled.

"You were!" Ron moved his castle to have it jump on Harry's knight and beat the crap out of it.

"Ron, we went out for a month!" Hermione looked at him incredulously, "I don't think that that could be called a fantastic relationship!"

"You enjoyed every minute of it," Ron grinned and winked at her.

Hermione, looked back down at the book she was reading as she lay on the rug in front of the fire. "Of course I did", she smirked. "That's why I dumped you. Your logic never ceases to astound me."

"Would you two get a room?!" Harry looked up from the wizards chess that he and Ron were playing, the board on a small table between their two chairs.

He made his move and his queen destroyed Ron's own queen to win the game.

"Check mate," he grinned at an open-mouthed Ron. "What? You'd thought I'd never be able to beat you?"

"I haven't been able to find out who she is," Hermione went back to talking about the girl Dumbledore and McGonagall had gone to fetch early that morning.

So far, when they'd spoken to McGonagall, all she'd said was that the retrieval had gone according to plan and that all would be revealed shortly.

None of the trio had seen the Headmaster.

"She must be important if she had to be hidden away from Voldemort" Harry absently rubbed his scar as he cleared away the chess board. "I wonder what abilities she has? I wonder what her name is? I wonder if she knows about all of this?"

"I guess all of our questions will be answered when the Headmaster deems it fit to present her to the school." Hermione closed her book with a loud snap. "All we have to do is wait."

****

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__

"Ever wondered what it'd be like if you were sucked into a different world to have adventures, to meet new people and see things that ordinary people never got to see? How about being a super hero with powers that people would envy? Powers that would be really cool, like the ability to fly, to fight, or maybe go invisible?

Of course, it would never happen, it couldn't, right? So, of course, I thought this guy was loony, totally off his rocker. That was until the picture thing, and the floating thing, and the broomstick thing. After that, I figured I'd finally lost it too. That or I was extremely high. Anyway, there was nothing I could do to prove that this wasn't real. To prove that I wasn't sane or had smoked a hell of a lot of something or another. So, 'cause I had no other choice, I had to believe that I, Jesse Hunter, was a witch, more than that, a super witch. Maybe I had eaten some gone off pizza and was now passed out delirious on my couch. Yeah, that would seem a lot more realistic. Too bad the old guy was right."

****

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A/N: Is it me, or are my chapters getting longer already?

Quote= *Ian Hall, BBC Radio Derby

VampireBunny1: See! *points* SOME questions have been answered. However, I'm one of those annoying authors that usually lets things get answered gradually. *grins* I can also assure you that there will be mentions of sex. I mean, Jesse's gotta have a guy, right? Only problem, as you can see, she has an attitude problem. I wonder who's gonna find THAT attractive? ^^

Flying monkeys? You have them too?!! Yay! *jumps up and down*

goldstranger: Thanks dude! That disbelief is gonna continue and then turn into outright rejection, sarcasm, stubbornness and all the other stuff my characters all seem to have. Hmm, I sense a pattern.

Proffessional scaterbrain: I think your questions have just been answered. I don't know when 'The Story Of Erin' will be back, but I've already started to rewrite the deleted chapters. It shouldn't be TOO long before it's posted, but if you're really desperate, there's a long spoiler at the Agora message board.


	4. Dinner And Ghosts

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A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating in a while. Real life once again decided to be cruel and take away my internet connection. Anyway, thanks to everyone for being so patient. Cheers to Roonblah and Bent137 for helping me out with the details- Thanks guys!

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Chapter 3: Dinner and Ghosts

**_'If you're looking for danger, here I come!  
You better look out, it's just begun!  
There's something that I want you to know!'  
- A1 (Scared)_**

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"So, I was a super witch. That was pretty much all I thought about for the next two days. That and the fact that I was totally bonkers. I didn't look around the castle. I didn't talk to anyone. I just watched the sun rise and set through the huge window with its ornate window seat. My meals appeared around the same time everyday on a tray on my desk. I saw no one enter and no one leave. All I did was wander around my supposedly new place and think I was going nuts. Of course, I knew this wasn't true but it seemed the only logical explanation, that or the moldy pizza theory. I then moved on to thinking about what this meant. I wasn't really bothered about leaving my old place. It was a dump and I hated the landlord. My jobs were crappy and my grades, well, I guess I didn't need them here. The only reason why I was angry was because I wasn't given a choice. I was never asked. Oh, I understood Dumbledore's reasons, but that didn't mean I had to accept them. I was having a hard enough time dealing with the fact that my parents didn't abandon me and I wasn't normal. Okay, so I was never treated as normal. I was treated like the scum of the earth for as long as I could remember, but that's not the point. Two days passed and finally I gave in and thought what the hell, I had nothing else to do with my time. I was willing to give it a shot- so long as I didn't have to face anything that was trying to kill me, that is. However, just because I was willing to try the witch thing, didn't mean I wouldn't set a few ground rules first..."

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Cautiously, Jesse opened the door of her room for the first time in two days. She looked into the dark corridor. Nothing. Breathing a sigh of relief she slipped out the door and closed it softly behind her. Pulling her denim jacket closer around her, she cautiously walked down the torch-lit corridor and slid out from behind the huge tapestry that hid it. The corridor was empty, she looked through the window opposite the tapestry. It was dark outside, her watch said early evening so she figured she could find Dumbledore in his office. Or at least run into one of the teachers. One of the problems in her plan was she didn't know _where_ his office was, let alone the password to get past the gargoyle guarding its entrance. Her plan was simple. Wander around until she found either Dumbledore or a teacher.

Lots of whispering pictures, cursing on her part, and several moving staircases later, Jesse found herself at the top of a staircase confronted with what could only be a ghost.

Now, being confronted with a moving staircase was one thing- all she had to do was hold on to the banister. A ghost was something entirely different. Instead of swearing her head off, Jesse just stared, mouth open at what appeared to be a man dressed in all sorts of frilly stuff and a ruff around his neck.

"Well, hello there!" he smiled cheerfully at her. "You must be the lady Jessica."

Jesse nodded, no sound coming out of her mouth, though she was able to finally close it. She blinked up at him.

"I am Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, ghost of Gryffindor tower, at your service," he said with a bow. "I'm am truly honoured to meet you."

Jesse, who had barely gotten over the fact that, a) a ghost was talking to her and b) she could see right through him to the banister behind him, finally snapped back into reality.

"Nearly Headless Nick" she grinned then slapped a hand over her mouth at his grimace. "Sorry." Shock did not help improve her manners.

"It's quiet alright, dear" he said, self-consciously adjusting his head on his shoulders, a sight Jesse hoped never to see again.

She repressed a shudder.

"Are you going to dinner?" he changed the subject quickly, looking down the stairs.

"Um, well," Jesse followed his gaze and realised where she was. She was at the top of the main staircase, looking down on the ground floor right next to the entrance way, which, was coincidentally right next to the main hall from the sounds of it.

"I was just wanting to talk to Dumbledore about my decision…"

"Oh," the ghost beamed at her "he _will_ be pleased!" He began to float down the stairs and Jesse had no choice but to follow, even though she could walk right through him.

"The whole faculty have been talking of nothing else but your return to Hogwarts!" Nick continued to babble as the reached the bottom of the stairs "And the pictures are all aflutter about what this could mean in the fight against You-Know-Who!"

"Um, Nick?" Jesse stopped in front of the huge double doors behind which the sound of several hundred pupils chattering away could be heard.

Sir Nicholas paused, or more like hovered before the door, a questioning look on his face.

"Could we keep this on the DL for now? I'm still getting used to this witch thing myself." Jesse quickly looked around her, noting that thankfully, the entranceway was empty.

"DL?" Nick replied, confused.

"Down Low" Jesse smiled.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." Nick made a zipping motion across his mouth, smiled at her briefly and disappeared through the door.

Jesse blinked at it for a second, shook herself, took a deep breath and opened the door.

As soon as she entered, the sound level dropped significantly, though the noise didn't cease altogether, as several hundred pair or eyes swung towards her and the whispering began.

She looked around her briefly, making herself ignore the curious looks towards her and the sniggers from several girls at her clothes. She wore jeans, trainers, a black t-shirt and her denim jacket- nothing unusual. Her long dark hair was up in a smooth ponytail to keep it back from her face. It was probably the lack of a cloak that did it. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Like she wanted to look like a daft git.

Instead, she looked around. This place was HUGE, way bigger than the infirmary. It had banners hanging from beams- the colours and symbols she expected and it had pictures on the walls. Most were whispering but some were actually waving at her. On one side of the hall and also at the end of it were huge stained glass windows. Then, of course there was the enchanted ceiling. Jesse stared up at it. Wow. The ceiling looked REAL. It was clear- no clouds in sight and the stars glittered and winked down at her. She dragged her eyes away quickly.

She had to act cool, she reminded herself, she had to act like she wasn't freaked out by all of this. She briefly looked at the long wooden tables that took up most of the room. The one nearest the left wall had a bunch of people who looked at her disdainfully. Jesse raised an eyebrow. Slytherins then. Next to it was a table with people who looked simply curious. She looked at the banner above it. Ravenclaw. There was a large gap between it and the next table, a pathway that Jesse now walked down, following Sir Nick who seemed to be escorting her to the far end of the hall. On the right was another table- several students were whispering but they didn't look in the least bit hostile. Jesse looked up at the banner. So this was Gryffindor? Hmm. Next to them were Hufflepuff and they just sat staring.

At the end of the hall, in front of the large windows at the end, on a large stage, sat the teachers at a long table. Straightening her back and stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jacket, Jesse followed the ghost to the platform.

The teachers had stopped talking when she had walked into the hall and Jesse fought the urge to yell "Boo!" at them to see if they'd jump. Dumbledore stood up as she approached their table and opened his mouth to say something to her when the doors burst open.

In came the largest man Jesse had ever seen. It had to be Hagrid.

"Sorry I'm late!" he said in a rush, as he hurried through the doors "Had a little trouble with Fang-" And then he skidded to a stop.

It looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head as his jaw dropped, and those same eyes were staring at an amused Jesse. He blinked at her for a second, his mouth opening and shutting like a goldfish.

"Why, you're… you're…" he began to splutter before Sir Nick piped up from his hovering position in front of the teacher's platform.

"May I present Miss Jessica." And then Sir Nicholas did an over exaggerated bow, grabbed his head from where it had flopped forward and occupied himself with putting it back on straight as he floated away to the Gryffindor table.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, nodded at Hagrid and finished walking over to the teachers' table, all the while thinking 'I'm not going insane. I'm not going insane.'

"Hagrid, you are quite correct in your assessment- this _is_ who you think she is." Dumbledore's tone of voice seemed to snap Hagrid out of his daze and he looked at his feet, embarrassed and obviously remembering that he had to be careful what he said about Jesse. "Er, right, er, Headmaster. Sorry 'bout that." And then he made his way up to the platform to sit in his seat behind the table.

Dumbledore turned back to Jesse. "Jessica? Have you come to a decision?"

"Well, that depends" Jesse replied bluntly, not removing her hands from her pockets.

"On?"

"On if you will agree to follow some rules."

"I believe that this is not the time to talk of such matter," Dumbledore replied, though thoughtfully, as if he hadn't thought that Jesse would need to make any. "Please, have some dinner."

And only then, did Jesse notice a small empty table sat next to the teachers platform away from the other tables.

Jesse looked between it and Dumbledore, wondering how he knew she would be there for dinner before shrugging, taking off her jacket and sitting down at it.

As soon as she sat down at the table, a plate and cutlery appeared as well as a goblet. Jesse stared at it. Back in her room, when her dinner was brought to her, it always seemed just what she wanted to eat- from Sunday dinners, to fish and chips.

Now however, the plate just sat empty in front of her. She looked back up at Dumbledore who was watching her with a little half smile.

"Just tell it what you want" he smiled.

Jesse looked out over the tables of students. Their food was all there, they just had to grab what they wanted. How come she had the actual choice? Oh, right. Super witch. Maybe they wanted to impress her?

"Um, a hamburger and fries, please- no mayo or onion." The food appeared out of nowhere on her plate and Jesse smiled as she took a big bite of hamburger. Just the way she liked it. She picked up her goblet, "Apple juice, please." Her cup filled to the rim with apple juice. Throwing her legs out in front of her, and slouching further down into her chair, Jesse attempted to get comfortable and began to eat, ignoring the open stares she was getting from teachers and students alike.

She was not even three bites into her hamburger when the ghosts approached. Sir Nick proudly took a position by her right hand side and leant down to whisper in her ear. Jesse forced herself to sit as still as possible.

"The others would like to meet you, is that alright? It's just it has been so long since one of your line has been here. We all remember you as an infant."

Jesse shivered at his close presence but shrugged it off with a "Fine, so long as they don't mind me eating."

Grinning from ear to ear, Sir Nick nodded and the ghosts floated forward and surrounded her on mass, each introducing themselves, telling her how honoured they were, how they all remembered her birth and how much like her mother she looked.

Jesse just smiled politely, answered their questions quietly, ate her dinner and tried to act like she wasn't feeling like she should be locked up in a padded room. She felt like she deserved an Oscar or something. Luckily, so far she hadn't been too freaked out and everything had gone pretty smoothly. Ever heard of Murphy's law? It was never far away in Jesse's life. She should've known that something would go wrong. She should've known it would be really bad in this place.

So, there she was, talking politely to a bunch of ghosts. So far, so good.

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine. If she'd had fur, it would've been stood on end and Jesse tensed. Something was wrong. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew, with every fibre of her being. She was absolutely certain that something bad was about to happen. Something was coming.

And then she heard it.

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Harry and his friends had not stopped watching the mysterious newcomer since she had arrived. Witnessing Hagrid's reaction to her and taking in her appearance, they all knew that she was the one Dumbledore had gone to retrieve.

The girl looked around 18 years old. She was short, around 5'4 and she wore the street clothes of muggles that Harry and Hermione were familiar with. Her dark- almost black hair was up in a sleek ponytail that made her almost fragile looking features stand out. Her dark brown eyes had curiously swept the whole hall, from the tables- Harry noted the raised eyebrow at the Slytherin table, to the ceiling. She'd ignored the giggles from some girls at Ravenclaw as they pointed at her clothes; and, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jacket, she'd casually followed Nearly Headless Nick to the teachers platform, ignoring the whispers that followed.

"Gotta be her" Hermione muttered from his right and he and Ron both nodded.

The fact that the Ghosts had then surrounded her gave everyone the impression that she was a celebrity, though, from the whispers of other students, it was obvious that no one knew who she was.

About ten minutes later, the girl's head snapped up as they heard the doors bang open. Harry and the others ignored it, thinking it to be either Filch the caretaker or a student slamming the doors again.

The girl continued to watch the door, as if hearing something else. Frowning, she looked around her and then back to the doors. Then suddenly, muttering something to the ghosts, she stood up.

She moved quickly around the table, catching the teachers' attention as she began to walk between the two centre tables. Harry watched curiously as she walked past.

"Something's wrong" he murmured quietly and Hermione and Ron stopped eating.

The girl paused about halfway to the door and listened again.

"What's wrong?" Dumbledore called, a small frown forming on his overly lined forehead.

The girl held up her hand to silence the Headmaster and continued her walk to the doors. Silence began to fall on the hall as the teachers stood up, their eyes intently following the mystery girl as she moved away from them.

She reached the doors a minute later and stood for a second. Obviously listening intently. Frowning, she opened them silently, slipped out of them and closed the doors behind her.

The teachers exchanged a look of worry, something that did not go unnoticed by any of the students.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

What Jesse had heard was a _bang_, like the sound of doors being slammed open by something large. A few students had looked up at this but then went back to eating. It must've been a sound they heard regularly- probably when Hagrid entered the building.

The next sound she heard was a loud grating noise followed by a heavy sound, like thunder rumbling. Uncomfortably, Jesse was reminded of a scene from _Jurassic Park_. It sounded like extremely heavy footsteps. Strangely, no one had looked up at this.

She'd made her way to the doors. She knew curiosity killed the cat but she was no cat so she figured she had more of a chance at survival.

Closing the doors behind her Jesse took a deep breath- the bad feeling getting stronger. She tried to shrug it away and ignore it. It had to be nothing. She was being paranoid… right?

Turning around, Jesse was met with the sight of two large feet. Each was bigger than a small terrier and both were covered in what looked like brown sack-like material.

Slowly, Jesse looked up. And up. And up, into the face of a very disgusting looking creature. Nope. Not paranoid.

It looked down at her with uncomprehending eyes before it smiled showing rotting yellow teeth. Lifting it's hand, the same hand that held a gigantic club it growled down at her.

"Shit" Jesse sighed before she was knocked flying back through the doors.

There was a huge _bang_ that echoed through the Great Hall as she flew through the doors to land painfully on the stone floor. The strength of the creature and her own body had forced the doors open to slam back against the walls. They slammed back into place leaving her gasping on the stone cold floor.

"Oh, crap," she muttered, wiping blood from her lip as the doors slammed open again.

She looked up and up until she reached it's eyes again and then she winced. "Just what I need." And then she dove out of the way as the massive club came crashing down again.

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**__**

A/N: Nope! I haven't forgotten my fanfics! See! points Once again, my computer decided it needed a break. sticks tongue out at computer It's a total pain in the arse. I haven't forgotten any of my other fics either. They are all under construction still- and uni and stuff is making it difficult to get them posted. They will be- I promise.

Riley: I'm glad you like my writing dude. There will be more in the future. And Draco? Nice? Blah. Not gonna happen. That would be just too easy now wouldn't it? grins But then, Jesse isn't exactly the most friendly of people either. Think bad boy meets girl with equal attitude. What do you get? Insults, fights, curses, and maybe a whole lot of something else…

VampireBunny1: Hehe, thank you! Yeah, I figured that with Jesse being from our world, it would make an interesting view point on things. Plus, it means she knows all about the bad guys etc.


	5. First Impressions

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A/N: See! I didn't forget about this story! As a matter of fact, while I've been in the land of the unconnected (it's a very scary place) I've been writing several chapters for this story.

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Chapter 4: First Impressions

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'I want to heal

I want to feel

Like I'm close to something real

I want to find something I've wanted all along

Somewhere I belong'

-Linkin Park (Somewhere I Belong)

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"Right. So. The arrival of the troll assassin kinda ruined my plans. Yes, I knew there was a magical war going on. Yes, I knew that they expected me to fight in it at some point. The thing is, I'd have thought that they would've at least let me get settled in before I had to do any actual fighting. And, ya know, maybe learnt how to use, oh, I don't know, ANY magical skills would be good. But no. I was facing off against a butt ugly troll, in front of the entire school no less, and with no clue what I was doing.

I was SO gonna die. I was going to be squished by the troll and then used as it's snot rag. At least I'd had a purpose in life. Great first impression, right?"

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Harry was on his feet in an instant, Hermione and a reluctant Ron following.

"Yo, D, I think we have a problem!" Jessica backed away on hands and feet like a crab, her eyes intently staring up at whatever it was that had threw her through the doors. Only problem was, no one else could see it.

"What is it? We can't see it!" Dumbledore began to move around the table. The students began to stand up.

"You can't see it!" The girl suddenly spun sideward, her hair whipping passed her face as something came extremely close to hitting her head. "Oh, this is friggin' great, this is!" heavy sarcasm laced her words even as she spun in the opposite direction, this time landing on her back and staring up at whatever it was stood high above her. "I have a bloody great troll trying to see if I'm crunchy on the inside and you can't see it!" She rolled backwards, even as there was another great whoosh of air and a loud crack as the stone floor cracked where she'd just been lying. Screaming, students began to rush away from the area surrounding her.

Harry swore vocally as Ron groaned, "Not again!"

McGonagall began shouting at the students, trying to calm them down and get them away from the invisible troll.

"There's got to be some kind of invisibility spell on it" Hermione was scrutinising the spot where Jessica was looking. "How can only she see it and not us? Why hasn't she got her wand out!"

Harry and his friends backed away more slowly, trying to see something above her that would give them a clue as to what exactly she was seeing, a way somehow, to help her.

"Okay, moving on. Why can't you see it, why does it seem to be only focused on me and how the hell do I get rid of it!" Jessica managed to get out, practically repeating what Hermione said before she was apparently hit or kicked in the stomach, sending her skidding and rolling painfully across the floor to finish in a crouched position, hair in her face, clutching her stomach and glaring daggers at the invisible troll. She spat some blood out onto the floor and shoved her now loose hair from her face. Harry and the others winced.

"I told you, all the spells we put on you no longer work now you're in this world and he has spies everywhere. He knows you're back now. He knew you would be eventually and he sent this troll in the hopes of killing you!" Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers were all standing and had their wands out, despite the fact that they couldn't do anything to help her if they couldn't see the threat. One of them fired a spell in its general direction and missed the troll completely.

"Voldemort?" She got to her feet and ducked as something flew over her head.

Meanwhile, all students were cowering away from Jessica and the main path between the 2 inner tables. At the mention of the troll, they had all panicked and had begun to scramble away from the rather strange scene. At the casual, if slightly annoyed mention of Voldemort's name, many had gasped. Who was this girl who was wanted dead by the Dark Lord? How could she say his name without fear? Why did she dress like a muggle and act so strangely? How could she talk to the Headmaster like this?

"Is he that much of a coward that he couldn't come here and try to kill me himself?" The strange girl jumped to the side, avoiding yet another hit.

"We will discuss this later, you must incapacitate the troll!" Dumbledore watched as she fell to her knees, dove forward to move beneath another dangerous blow, spun back up to her feet and glared back up at the troll defiantly. She now had her back to the door but that didn't last as she was picked up by her t-shirt and thrown back towards the teacher's table. She landed painfully and coughing up more blood. Now, she slowly got back up to her feet and wiped her blood on the back of her hand.

"Duh." Was her sarcastic reply to Dumbledore even as she shook her hair from her eyes, "Now, how do you suggest I do that?"

She moved more slowly now as she moved away from the teachers table, one end of the table shattering in her wake as she moved further back into the space between the tables. There wasn't anyone who could face a troll and not walk away uninjured… except Harry Potter but even _he_ hadn't faced a troll alone.

"Get angry!" Dumbledore shouted.

McGonagall's head whipped round to give Dumbledore a disapproving look even as several of the scared teachers shook their heads as they began to look more fearful, some shuffling away.

"Give in to your emotions!"

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"Angry?" Jesse glared up at the troll even as it swung at her again. On cue, rage began to run through her system as though turned on by some invisible switch. Everything that had happened to her in the last few days hit her like a tonne of bricks and Jesse was _not_ happy. Any thought of staying here with these people disappeared. Not only had she made the worst first impression EVER, but these people couldn't even protect her against a troll for crying out loud!

She ducked and glared over her shoulder at the old man, "You want me pissed off? You kidnap me, tell me I'm never going home, _then_ tell me I have to fight in some war I have no part of- the same war my freakin' parents died fighting, and now you think you can tell me what to feel? Ooh, I'm pissed off alright!"

A warm tingling feeling began to spread from her chest, rushing through her veins and causing her to shiver. Jesse closed her eyes and balled her hands into fists, her stomach churning. What the hell was happening? An earthy smell reached her, like dried grass and damp earth. Like the musky smell of animals, and the cool smell of moss. She felt that if she opened her eyes, she'd be in a forest. Wind caressed her face, not harsh, but gentle, tickling her face and ruffling her hair. Instead of freaking her out, this feeling, this experience felt… comforting.

She began to feel light headed as the feeling grew stronger. Extra adrenaline seemed to take hold of her burning aching muscles to give her some much needed energy. Her body seemed to be made of air, her heartbeat pounded in her ears, her eyes watered, her muscles flexed involuntarily and then suddenly, it all stopped. Jesse opened her eyes. People began to whisper but she ignored them.

The loss of that warm feeling made Jesse sway on her feet. She didn't see the next swing until it was too late.

Pain racked her body once more, she thought the troll might've broken some ribs.

She flew up into the air and hit the wall next to the Slytherin table and fell, spinning through the air down towards their table, about to ruin their dinner and be impaled on lots of sharp cutlery. What a way to go.

Several paintings yelled out and screamed in shock and outrage as they fell from their hooks on the wall to fall to the ground, but it all stopped immediately as Jesse's decent abruptly ended. To Jesse, one minute she was falling in slow motion with the table and its contents rushing up to meet her and the next, nothing. It felt like someone had yanked on some invisible strings attached to her body and the falling sensation abruptly stopped.

When she felt no impact, Jesse peaked through the hands that had been protecting her face and looked down into the face of a blonde guy staring up at her with wide eyes who was a mere foot away.

Jesse looked down her body to see that she was hovering above the heads of the students who all looked up at her with fear and shock on their faces. No looks of disdain now. She looked sideways, passed the other tables and faces to see the troll beginning to lumber towards her.

It was huge, way bigger than Hagrid, about 15 foot tall and it was green. Not grass green or leaf green but that really gross green like snot or mushy peas. And talking about snot, it had a huge bit dangling from its weird mashed up looking head.

The lumpy head seemed too small for it's body, with tiny gormless eyes, a huge bulbous nose and a big mouth filled with rotten yellow teeth.

He, because no female whatever the species could like that ugly, was wearing what looked like an old giant brown sack and matching shoes.

It's arms were so long, they damned near touched the floor and in one of its hands it held a huge wooden club.

It began to shuffle towards her, past the tables.

"Everybody at Ravenclaw" Jesse's voice was clear in the terrified silence and she was pleased that it came out almost normal. "Stand up _very_ slowly."

Everyone at the table did as she said.

"Now, from the end nearest the door, walk in a line to that end of the hall and then peg it to the other side."

Again, her instructions were followed extremely quickly.

The troll had just reached the end of the Ravenclaw table that was now thankfully empty.

'Okay, now, let's see what I can do' Jesse thought, looking back down at her floating body. 'If only I knew how to get freakin' down.'.

Immediately, she knew. It was as simple as that. Jesse knew that all she had to do was will it and she would be able to guide her decent or accent. However, it wouldn't last long.

Jesse smiled, gave the hot blonde guy a wink and flew upwards towards the ceiling.

When she was near the ceiling, gravity took effect and she used her arching descent to somersault backwards to drop down on the trolls head.

The troll bellowed as she gripped its head in her hands and held on for dear life.

'Okay' she thought as the troll began to thrash around 'what do I do now?'

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__

Forbidden Forest:

'Almost there now' He couldn't see the distant hills he needed to reach, but the smell of the forest was different, less magic filled. His journey was almost done. He would be at his destination within the hour and then begin his appointed task.

Suddenly, there was a _thump_ a few feet away and he ducked and froze instantly, his glowing eyes talking in the muted colours of the forest, his ears taking in the sounds. He bristled. He wasn't alone.

"Do not fear," a deep male voice emitted from behind the tree and then a head appeared, followed by the upper torso of a man and the body of a horse. "We are friends." The centaur smiled, as he looked down at him.

The centaur had a black body, with black hair and striking blue eyes. Four more centaurs emerged from the darkness and the warrior cursed himself for being so distracted.

He stayed in his crouched position, his eyes on the one that had spoken, the leader.

"Every creature of this forest knows of your quest into the land of humans. We only wished to help you on your way."

"Why?" he asked, not relaxing his stance, ready to strike or flee whatever the circumstances needed.

"The one you go to meet, belongs to this land as much as we do. Ancient blood from times before the humans came in many numbers. The land has waited and now she returns. We do not want her to leave so soon."

"Why?" he asked again and the centaur shrugged.

"You and I know both that the land will be stronger once she is here, stronger than it has been since the last left this world and moved into the world of light and shadows. Everyone will benefit when she reconnects to this land, that is why you have been given this task." The centaur looked deep into the warrior's eyes as if searching for something. "You believe this too, that is why you have accepted this quest. You believe that our world and theirs will be better off- safer, with her in it."

The warrior bowed his head "I do. Her line is ancient- from the times before the land was green, before the times of ice and snow."

The warrior looked away for a second, as if looking into the past of his people. "She is from a strong people, they understood our ways. We are old allies, old friends of her kin." The warrior looked back into the centaur's eyes "Only now, can we re-establish our link with them, with her. Only now, do my family believe we can meet with her again. She will need all the help she can get and I will be by her side until the end."

He lifted his head defiantly, "A war is coming. An old enemy of many is preparing for attack. His power is growing, his army coming together once more. When he attacks, they will need all the help they can get to fight his warriors. For if he wins, it is not just the world of men that will fall prey to his power grabbing hands." The warrior looked deep into the forest to see the many glowing eyes of creatures, intelligent creatures, magical creatures, watching him, listening to his words. "If he conquers over them, _all_ worlds will feel his wrath." He looked back at the centaur towering above him. "She will need all the help she can get."

Bane, the centaur nodded and one by one, he and his kind bowed to the warrior. "We will lead you safely to her, to the land of humans, and you can truly begin your task."

The warrior smiled in acceptance and then once again began his journey, this time with an escort around him and leaving many eyes to watch as they moved amongst the trees.

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Unbeknownst to Jesse, the moment she had prolonged contact with the toll, whatever spell that protected it from the sight and hearing of everyone else was interfered with. He began to slowly fade into view from the head downwards, like mist clearing away to reveal his location and his bellows of anger filled the echoing hall. Shouting, several teachers managed to fire some stunning spells at him, but all it did was make the troll stagger slightly, it's focus still on Jesse as she clung to its head.

Jesse heard several people gasp, and a few people swear as she gripped tightly to the troll's head. She didn't have time to wonder what their problem was as the troll managed to grab her by the back of her black t-shirt again and fling her over his head.

"Shiiiiiittttttt!" Jesse sailed through the air towards the now empty table. Whatever magic that was in the great hall, had cleared the table away as soon as all of the students had left it. Jesse landed on it with a crash, flat on her back with the wind knocked out of her before rolling off of the table and onto the floor. She didn't know why, but she hadn't been able to float like she'd been able to before.

She sat back up with a groan as pain radiated from every limb. "I'm not having a good day" she mumbled to herself as the troll made its way towards her again. Another bust of anger rushed through her system and people gasped again. Jesse ignored them, staring up at the troll with unconcealed fury. She stood up slowly and watched the troll make it's way towards her.

'I need to stun it' Jesse thought and then felt something tingly and warm in the palms of her hands. She looked down and her eyes widened. There, in the palm of each hand, was a glowing ball of orange fire. It didn't hurt, it didn't burn. This was reassuring to Jesse.

'Nifty!' she looked back up at the troll and smiled.

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**__**

A/N: Okay, I need some help here guys- tell me what you want to happen! I have these ideas in my head but what I need help with is getting them there. Also, when she meets Draco, things are not going to go smoothly. Where would be the fun in that? But what I need is some good insults. If you guys have any ideas, please send them in me in an email entitled 'Harry Potter' and if I use them or use similar ones inspired by the ones you gave me, I'll dedicate the next chapter to you.


	6. Don't Care

**__**

A/N: I'm SO sorry to keep you guys waiting for this! I've just been distracted with uni etc. It'll probably happen again, but I hope this chapter will make up for it.

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****

Chapter 5: Don't Care

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'Because by tomorrow morning I'll have this thing beat

And everything will be back to the way it was

I wish it was just that easy'

-Lifehouse (Somewhere In Between)

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Everyone had watched in shock as Jesse had been covered in a silver shimmer of light when Dumbledore had told her to get angry. The glow seemed to intensify and light up the whole hall like a star, and it seemed to be coming from within her. The whole hall seemed to darken while Jesse glowed and shimmered, and a cool breeze seemed to gently ruffle her hair. Looking up, the enchanted ceiling began to darken and swirl around in a dark hurricane of stars until suddenly, they were looking up at the galaxy. Everyone stared in awe until the cutlery on the remaining tables began to rattle and shake and some of them began to rise up into the air. When Jesse opened her eyes, they were glowing white, no pupil showing. She looked blind.

Then, she'd been thrown or knocked up into the wall beside the Slytherin table, only to fall back down and float above their heads. The cutlery fell back to the tables with a clatter.

Jesse then seemed to fly back upwards, doing some impressive acrobatics to land on what they had then been able to finally see- the troll. As soon as she was thrown away from it, they could no longer see him, but apparently, Jesse still could. Glowing, she stood up slowly, it was obvious she was in a lot of pain, but then, she was bleeding from cuts everywhere. She looked up at the troll then back down at her hands. That was when they saw the spell she contained in them. She held no wand, but in her hands was an unmistakable ball of magic. Jesse looked back up at the troll and smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

Harry, Hermione and Ron stared in wonder as Jesse seemed transformed.

"What is she going to do?" Ron whispered, his mouth agape as he stood behind Hermione, a forgotten chicken leg still in his hand.

"What do you think?" Hermione snapped, "stick a wand up it's nose?" She was busily going through her memory to see if she'd read anything about anyone being able to do this before.

"She's going to fight it" Harry smiled as Jesse took a step forward, "She's going to fight it and win."

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Jesse looked up as the troll began to lumber towards her more quickly. 'What is this spell?' she thought frantically and the answer came to her. _It stuns._

Pulling her arm back, Jesse threw the spell with all her might at the trolls chest. It exploded on impact in an array of sparks and the troll staggered back. A dark burn mark was left on it's skin.

"Bugger" she muttered when it let out a howl of rage and charged at her.

She threw the other stunning spell at it, ran and jumped up onto the now empty Ravenclaw table. Running along, she racked her brain, trying to think of something to knock the troll out with, or at least slow it down some more. 'Wow, I just used a spell on a troll…' was all she could think as she ran, 'I just used MAGIC… I can't believe I can even think that. Magic is in books. Magic does NOT exist. Magic will not help me stop this thing from killing me.'

She jumped and rolled with a muttered curse as a swipe almost knocked her flying when the troll spun around, trying to follow her quick movements. If she could somehow stay ahead of it at all times, then it wouldn't be able to catch up with her.

Jesse was not having a good time. Her whole chest hurt every time she moved or even breathed and right now, she _really_ wanted to keep breathing. But she couldn't keep her head from spinning mentally at the fact that she was facing a troll- a TROLL for God's sake, that was trying to KILL her!

"I SO didn't ask for this job!" Jesse yelled as she ducked yet another hit, sending herself skidding on her side down the rest of the table before she rolled off the end, hitting the floor with a loud, "umph" as she landed on her back painfully.

'I'm not gonna die!' Jesse hugged herself as pain caused her breath to hitch, 'I'm not gonna die! This can't be happening! Please, someone tell me this isn't real!' She slowly got to her knees.

The troll paused, looking dumbly at the now empty table before growling and ambling towards where it saw Jesse disappear. When it got there, it stopped and stared at the empty floor.

'Something stronger!' Jesse thought frantically as she crawled away from her spot on the floor, making her way back towards the teacher's table, ignoring the looks she was getting from the Slytherins. 'I need something to knock the sod out, not make it even more angry at me!'

She stopped at the end of the table, crouched down in front of the damaged platform with the teachers looking down at her in concern. 'I'm not gonna die! I'm not gonna die! I'm not gonna die!'

She looked down at her hands. "C'mon," she muttered to them, "Give me something!"

She was talking to her hands, asking magic to appear so she could use it against a killer troll.

What was wrong with this picture? Oh yes, the fact that there were no men in white coats coming after her!'

She blinked when another ball of magic filled her hands from nowhere, this time a pinkish-purple in colour. Still crouching, she stuck her head around the bench on her left and looked for the troll, it was walking slowly, still looking for her. In a moment of inspiration, it reached down and picked up one end of the table with it's free hand. She was so dead.

"Oh, shit!" Jesse swore before launching herself away from the end of the table and moving as far away from the troll as possible, walking backwards towards the other tables with her eyes still glued to the troll.

'It can see me! What can I do? What can I DO!'

She glanced briefly down at her hands before shrugging, 'Oh, right.'

She threw one spell at it with all her might, just as the troll threw the table away from itself. The table would've hit the teachers if Dumbledore hadn't deflected it with a spell of his own, putting it further away from the centre isle, almost pinning the Slytherins in.

The other teachers themselves had remained standing, all with wands in their hands and it should be said, all but Dumbledore, McGonagall and who could only be Snape seemed to be standing tall in the face of this threat. The others were backing away from Jesse in unconcealed terror. This really didn't endear them to her.

The spell hit the troll on it's upper chest making the troll bellow in rage. The noise was so loud that Jesse yelled and fell to her knees, reaching up to clutch her ears in pain before she remembered the spell she still held.

Wincing, her ears stinging from the noise it was making, she looked up to see the troll now running at her from it's end of the Great Hall, it's pounding footsteps making the plates clatter on the tables that still held them. The troll didn't seem too stable as it moved faster than its usual speed. Due to it's oversized limbs (and probably stupidity) it was not a good runner.

"What does it take to knock you out, already!" Jesse jumped to her feet, swaying against the pain before she flexed the hand that held the spell. Her head was pounding so hard she felt as if it'd explode from the pressure of the pain in her skull. Her vision was slightly blurry, her ears still ringing. Even with the pain, everything seemed so surreal. She was using magic to fight a troll!

The troll was practically on her yet Jesse held her ground out of tiredness and a sudden idea. She waited until it was just one giant club swing away before she threw the spell with all of her strength up at the trolls head, or rather it's chin as she couldn't exactly aim that high. Wincing, Jesse was already in motion, hoping that there'd be enough left of her so she would be recognizable at her funeral. Would she even have a funeral? What would be the point if no one would go to it?

Surprising her, the stunning spell hit exactly where she wanted it to go- the bottom of it's head, the top of it's neck, beneath it's jaw. The spell seemed to explode into hundreds of sparks as it hit it's target like a small firework.

Jesse dived to her left as the troll's bellow was cut short, it's mouth slamming shut as it's head snapped backwards. It's journey was stopped as it's head snapped back so hard it pushed itself off balance even further, it's lower body still moving forward with the momentum, it's upper body causing it to topple backwards at the same time.

The troll hit the floor with a giant _bang_, causing the actual tables themselves to shudder with the impact. It's head hit the floor before it's feet did, cracking the stone, and Jesse saw it's eyes roll back into it's ugly head. She barely managed to dodge it's club as it came down, still in it's giant hand, to land by it's side. Jesse followed it with her eyes. The troll's hand relaxed and the club rolled away slightly to come to a stop at her feet.

Jesse blinked down at the troll and then the club for a few seconds in the absolute silence that followed. She, Jesse had just decked a troll. Shouldn't she be screaming or something right now? This can't be freakin' real! Instead, she allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction.

"I came, I saw, and I kicked your bloody arse!" Her voice was tired but satisfied and then her injuries began to really let themselves be known.

Her legs threatened to give way beneath her and Jesse slumped against the club, making it visible for the others to see.

Dumbledore took one cautious step down from the broken platform. "Is it-" He stopped, looking from the club to Jesse. "Is it dead?"

Jesse shook her head wearily. "Can't you see it yet?"

"Only when you touch it."

"Unconscious." said Jesse and she gingerly touched it's foot with one of her trainers, still leaning heavily on the club.

The school looked at the unconscious troll as it once again faded into view.

There was a collective sigh of relief from the students and then suddenly, they burst into cheers and applause.

The teachers, though shook and pleased, immediately made them calm down. She wondered if any of them had wet themselves. It seemed highly likely with some of the embarrassed looks the teachers were wearing.

For some reason, Jesse wasn't pleased by the cheers and applause of the school. As a matter of fact, it grated on her nerves.

"Voldemort will not be pleased to find one of his minions out of service." Dumbledore continued as if he hadn't been interrupted as the children became quiet again.

Jesse snorted and winced. "I think it's safe to say that he knows I'm here." She wiped away some blood on the back of her hand and spat some more out onto the floor. She grimaced at it and looked down at her clothes. They were covered in her own blood. She had no idea how she hadn't got any troll snot on them but she was entirely thankful nonetheless. Just that thought alone brought with it another wave of anger and that smell of earth and nature.

"Man, I hate this place already!" Jesse practically growled as she brushed some hair from her face where it was sticking to her forehead with sweat and blood. She pushed off of the club and began to limp back towards her little table, every movement making her body scream in protest. It felt like, well, it felt like she'd just gone a few rounds with a troll.

How very typical. She couldn't go anywhere without getting into a fight.

A deep base-like growl came from behind her when Jesse was about hallway to the teacher's table, though it seemed like miles away. Jesse froze. Everyone's obvious relief was once again turned into fear though they couldn't see or hear anything. Their eyes bore into Jesse and she could've sworn she heard a whimper from the teachers platform.

A loud grating noise reached her ears and sighing, Jesse slowly swivelled on the spot to look at the troll.

It was awake, though barely, but it was slowly pulling it's massive club towards it as it began to sit up into a sitting position, a massive bump on the back of it's head the size of a football.

Jesse's shoulders sagged and she glared at the troll. "Won't you ever leave me alone!"

She looked down at her hands and stared at them with resignation. "Killing spell" She said to them grimly. 'I just want this thing to leave me alone!'

Unmistakable green flames filled her hands and everyone knew what she held. Avada Kedavra. One of the worst spells known to wizarding kind. One of the Unforgivable Curses said to be unblockable and with no counter-curse. And she held it in the palm of her hand.

The troll was sitting up now, it's club by it's side as it dazedly fixed it's beady little eyes on Jesse's face. When it saw her, it let out a giant bellow.

Jesse didn't even attempt to cover her ears as she stared up at it. She took a step towards the troll, turning slightly and pulling back one of her hands, preparing to throw. Her face showed them what she was feeling. Annoyance, anger and a deep tiredness that was only partly due to being physically battered.

"Jesse, stop!" Jesse paused, the deadly green flames continued to flicker in her hand causing her face to come into sharp relief and her eyes to glow even more strangely. Of course, Jesse didn't know this. She didn't know that she looked positively scary to every man, woman and child in that hall at that very moment. All Jesse knew was that at that very moment, she felt like she was going to pass out from exhaustion. She felt like she could sleep for a month. She felt like she could cry for a year at the unfairness of it all.

"You are not a killer, Jesse!" Dumbledore walked down from the platform steps slowly, his eyes on Jesse and his wand in his hand. Everyone wondered who it was for, the troll or the witch.

"I'm not a witch either but no one gives a damn about that!" Jesse spat back at him and turned back to the troll. She raised her hand again. Why couldn't she just go home? What had she ever done to deserve this?

"You see why he wants you dead!" It was Professor McGonagall's voice that made her stop this time, "You see why he sees you as a threat?" She swept up beside Dumbledore.

"Screw that" Jesse moved towards the troll as it attempted to get to it's knees.

"He sees what you can become and he knows he is less likely to win with you back amongst your kind!" Dumbledore shouted into the silence, a loud booming voice that seemed to shake the very walls and make the plates and cups clatter like the troll had done.

Jesse finally heard what they were saying, though the look on her face didn't change. Though she wanted to go home, though she was physically and mentally exhausted, she didn't want to kill. Jesse could be a very violent person at times and she had an attitude a mile long, but she wasn't a killer. Though did this mean that Voldemort was scared she'd become one? It made her pause for thought.

The flames flickered and turned to a blue-silver colour- another strong stunning spell. She threw it at the troll where it promptly fell back down unconscious. The flames then flickered once more and died in Jesse's hands as she turned to face the teachers with a sigh. "Here we go again" she rolled her eyes and folded her arms, trying not to wince as she caught some of her cuts and bruises.

"He wants you dead because of who you are, because of what you are, because of your birthright." Dumbledore carried on in his booming voice, his eyes blazing as he stared down at her. "You are Jessica Hunter, the daughter of Juliana and Marcus Hunter. You are the last of your family, the last of the Guardians!"

There was a gasp from the Gryffindor table that was ignored.

"Wow, are you finished yet?" Jesse asked into the shocked silence that followed. She sounded bored and annoyed. She _was_ bored and annoyed. But mostly tired. Pissed off was coming a close second though.

Students began to whisper, staring at her open-mouthed. They seemed to like doing that. Well, that and the silence thing, and the staring thing. Sheep-like much?

"You have a destiny to fulfil, Jesse. You have to stay here, you have to help us fight." Dumbledore said more quietly, though his voice hadn't lost its edge.

Jesse stared at him impassively even as many students looked positively scared at Dumbledore's outburst. This man was feared by the very Dark Lord himself. He was one of the strongest wizards in the entire world.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time you told me this shit, and you know what?" Much to everyone's shock, she began to walk towards the imposing wizard. "I don't care." The words were spoken clearly and calmly. A statement of fact that seemed to shock the whole faculty and it was said defiantly. Jesse even met Dumbledore's eyes as she said it. She saw the look of disappointment in them but she ignored it. What did she care what this old man thought of her? She'd just been beaten bloody because he'd brought her to this place!

She moved back over to the chair she had been sitting in and removed her jacket from the back of it and slipped it on, not allowing a single gasp of pain to pass her lips. Only then, did she turn back to him. "You took me away from this life a long time ago. Your so-called protection helped to make my life a living hell. I worked hard to get what I had back there" Jesse limped back over to the troll. She looked from it to Dumbledore. "Then, you take me from that life, the world I was used to and brought me back here. Did you give me a choice?"

Dumbledore didn't reply. He just continued to look at her sadly.

"Did you even ask me if I wanted to come here?" Jesse's anger was growing.

Still nothing.

"No, you didn't. You acted on your own opinions- your own beliefs. You expected me to be thankful for this. You expected me to be grateful for you dumping me in this world with this- this stupid war!" She kicked the troll's leg.

"It's your destiny, Jesse. It's what your parents would've wanted." Dumbledore didn't sound angry at her outburst, in fact, he seemed almost saddened by it.

"And I'm meant to care what they wanted?" Jesse looked at him like he'd said the world was flat and the moon was made of cheese. "I never knew them! As far as I'm concerned, they don't exist!"

"They loved you, Jesse" McGonagall looked as sad as Dumbledore but her voice came out sharp and angry, "You were the most important thing in the world to them!"

"Uhuh, that's why they went up against Voldemort and left me with you idiots!"

The silence was thick now. No one liked being called an idiot.

"Now, if you're quite done, I'm leavin'." Taking a deep breath, Jesse walked out, the doors magically opening by themselves to let her pass and slamming shut in her wake.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….

'peg' means to run like hell

**__**

A/N: As always, I need insults. No, I'm not being weirder than usual. I need some good sarcastic ones to use in this and several of my other stories, so if you have any good ones, please please please send me them either in a email or via review. Thanks!

**_Professional scatterbrain_****_ Thank you for the insults! I'll be sure to use them when I have the chance. If they don't end up in this story, it'll be one of my other ones._**


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